Springtime Inspiration -- Kathleen Powers, Pine Mountain

Kathleen and broken Berta (the rotary plow attachment)

     Today I mowed the grass in the community garden. I know, it doesn’t sound that great does it? But having that one task done left me feeling the most accomplished that I have at all in the past 2 weeks. As I wrote in my last blog post our gardening equipment has chosen the most inopportune time to stop cooperating with us, the ground has been dry for well over 9 days now, yet the majority of our participants gardens still lie fallow.  Last week broken bolts on the tiller put us out of the game on Tuesday morning (after a dead truck battery incident on Monday). So we began this week with renewed spirit….  until about 10:30 am Monday morning when the clutch line on our tiller broke halfway through a garden.  Then the Mantis stopped working. Now, I would like to say that we were able to fix these things and be on our way, but unfortunately Maggie and I do not have vast amounts of mechanical knowledge, and lately we have not had vast amounts of patience either, so we have begrudgingly waited for parts in the mail and then been extremely grateful that the maintenance staff is willing to help us fix things day after day (luckily our repairs have been easy and inexpensive). So, while things have been accomplished I’ve been feeling like I’m not getting anything done because everyone wants their gardens plowed and we just can’t make that happen yet. Anyways the point of my blog is not to whine and complain but rather to try to provide some early season gardening motivation to those like us who may already be frustrated by certain happenings outside of our control.

 Random things to Remember when Frustrated 

1.) At the end of the day pulling weeds and watering vegetables is a whole lot more peaceful and gratifying than sitting at a desk.

2.) The month of May means fresh radishes, peas, lettuces, onions, and strawberries on your dinner table!

3.) There are now about 13.5 daylight hours each day compared to less than 10 in early January.

4.) Earth Day is April 22nd, dirt grows food, need I say more?

5.) Grow Appalachia is an amazing project that is creating community focused on local food.

6.) Turning over garden beds by hand (because all your equipment is broken) is a great way to de-stress.

7.) Other people’s Grillos break too….

8.) Though it may not seem like much we are seeing positive changes in the agricultural and farming industry:  http://civileats.com/2012/04/12/fda-issues-voluntary-plan-to-limit-antibiotics-in-agriculture/

9.) Wendell Berry is all knowing and his quotes will never let you down:

“So, friends, every day do something that won't compute...Give your approval to all you cannot understand...Ask the questions that have no answers. Put your faith in two inches of humus that will build under the trees every thousand years...Laugh. Be joyful though you have considered all the facts....Practice resurrection.” 

“The care of the Earth is our most ancient and most worthy, and after all our most pleasing responsibility. To cherish what remains of it and to foster its renewal is our only hope.” 

 10.) Garden fresh herbs are just about the easiest way to make a tasty meal (yesterday Maggie picked all our bolted cilantro and made pasta sauce!

Here’s an easy recipe: http://littlehouseinthesuburbs.com/2009/04/cilantro-pesto.html

 11.) When all else fails you can bake yourself a pie with frozen squash from last fall’s bounty and eat the whole thing, the garden just keeps givin’!

     Hopefully in the next few weeks we will have time for some more informational blog posts, but for the time being I hope you all get a little bit of inspiration from this post and best of luck to all the GA sites in these busy spring weeks!